Dylan's mentor subject of a 'Wiki folk musical'

Larry Mollin has gone from writing about Dylan McKay from "90210" to Bob Dylan and his mentor.

The Merrick native, who was a writer and producer on "Beverly Hills 90210," has returned to his first love, the theater, where he began his career. "Search: Paul Clayton, the Man Who Loved Bob Dylan," which focuses on the folk singer who mentored Bob Dylan, was written by Mollin and runs through May 21 at Manhattan's Triad Theatre.

"I thought it would be fun to structure a play based on the structure of a Wikipedia page, which is why it's called a 'Wiki folk musical,' " says Mollin, 69.

Mollin, a longtime folk music fan, spent a year researching the life of Clayton, who died in 1967 at age 36 by taking an electric heater into the bathtub with him. "In the early 1960s, Paul had 11 albums out and was the most recorded young folk singer in America," Mollin says.

The show delves into Clayton's relationship with Dylan, from the turbulent times (Clayton felt betrayed after Dylan appropriated one of his songs) to the tender.

"Paul was a gay man who was infatuated with Bob," Mollin says. "So the show is also a love story, though it's a one-sided love story."